WSPZ

Infobox Radio station
name = WSPZ
airdate = 1947 as WVOK
frequency = 690 KHz HD Radio
city = Birmingham, Alabama
area = Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman Metropolitan Area
format = Sports
owner = Citadel Broadcasting
sister_stations = WAPI, WUHT, WWMM, WYSF, WZRR
erp = 50,000 Watts (day)
500 Watts (night)
branding = "690 The Sports Animal"
slogan = "The Sports Animal"
class = B
facility_id = 16897
webcast = [http://690thesportsanimal.com//Article.asp?id=579173 Listen Live]
website = [http://www.690thesportsanimal.com 690thesportsanimal.com]
callsign_meaning = SPZ = "Sports"
affiliations = Fox Sports Radio
Atlanta Braves
University of Alabama Crimson Tide (Football)
UAB Blazers (Baseball)
Tennessee Titans|

WSPZ (690 AM, "The Sports Animal") is an all-sports radio station licensed to Birmingham, Alabama, with daytime licensed power of 50,000 Watts and 500 Watts at night. WSPZ is the Birmingham affiliate of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide Sports Network (football only), the UAB Blazers Radio Network (baseball only), Tennessee Titans Radio, the Atlanta Braves Radio Network, and Fox Sports Radio.

History

The station that now broadcasts from 690 AM in Birmingham signed on in 1947 as "WVOK". It was the first radio station in Birmingham to broadcast at 50,000 watts. Due to Federal Communications Commission restrictions, the station broadcast only during daytime hours. It was not until the early 1980s that WVOK was able to broadcast 24 hours a day.

Throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s, WVOK was a Top 40 station calling itself “"The Mighty 690"” with a signal that covered almost all of north and central Alabama, as well as parts of Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee. Rather than attempting to compete with crosstown station (and market leader) WSGN, WVOK targeted listeners in the rural areas of the states its signal reached. One of the most popular promotions of WVOK was their “Shower of Stars” concert series. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, these concerts brought such performers as the Rolling Stones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Neil Diamond and the Beach Boys to Birmingham.

In 1977, WVOK dropped Top 40 music and became a country station using the nickname OK 69. At about the same time, sister station WVOK-FM (now WZRR) signed on with an album rock format. Country music on WVOK-AM continued until 1985, when the station changed to adult contemporary music before moving to an oldies format. In 1989, oldies were dropped, and the station began playing classic country music.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, several AM stations in Birmingham debuted afternoon sports talk call-in shows. Local sportswriter Paul Finebaum had debuted a popular show on WAPI (1070 AM). In 1990, Herb Winches, a former TV sports anchor on WBRC and WVTM, moved his own popular show with co-host Ben Cook from WERC to WVOK. Because Winches’ show was fairly successful, and because, by the 1990s, there were few AM radio stations that were successful playing music, station management made the decision to launch an all-sports station in 1992.

On November 29, 2006, WJOX began simulcasting on the 100.5 FM frequency of sister station WRAX. On December 1, the AM station changed its call letters to "WSPZ", and the WJOX call sign moved to the FM station. On January 8, 2007, WJOX-FM and WSPZ began separate sports programming schedules. Three of the local call-in shows from the former WJOX-AM moved to FM, and a new morning-drive show was created, reuniting former WJOX-AM morning drive personalities Matt Coulter and Scott Griffin. As a result of the change, and to differentiate itself from WJOX, an affiliate of ESPN Radio, WSPZ affiliated with Fox Sports Radio. Coulter was let go by WSPZ on January 22, 2008 when his contract was not renewede. Scott Griffin was fired on July 17, 2008 and his show was replaced with syndicated sports talk.

Current programming

* "The Cage" featuring Scott Griffin. This show was cancelled and Scott Griffin fired on July 17, 2008. Scott Griffin was previously the voice of Samford University athletics and a weekend sports anchor at WVTM, the Birmingham NBC affiliate. Recent co-host Matt Coulter was let go on January 22, 2008 when his contract was not renewed.
* "The Herd with Colin Cowherd"
* "The Jim Rome Show"
* "Dunaway and Brown", featuring longtime Birmingham sports anchor Jim Dunaway and Ryan Brown

* The station airs 10 University of Alabama at Birmingham baseball games each season as part of the Blazers ISP Sports Network.cite news | first = Steve | last = Irvine | title = Blazers sign on with Citadel Broadcasting | url = http://www.al.com/birminghamnews/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1186130756174320.xml&coll=2 | work = The Birmingham News | location = Birmingham, Alabama | date = 2007-08-03 | accessdate = 2008-01-03 | quote = The Blazers ISP Sports Network has signed a three-year deal with Citadel Broadcasting to serve as the flagship radio stations for UAB football and men's basketball. [...] A deal has also been worked out to broadcast 10 UAB baseball games on AM-690. It has not been determined which 10 games will be broadcast.]

References

External links

* [http://www.690thesportsanimal.com WSPZ official website]
*AMQ|WSPZ
*AML|WSPZ
*AMARB|WSPZ